World GP MX Gets Underway in Belgium
| March 22, 2004
The opening round of the Grand Prix Motocross Championship Series got underway in Zolder, Belgium, over the weekend, and it was a weekend of new names, at least on the top step of the podium.
In the MX 1 class (250cc two-stroke and 450cc four-stroke), Belgium’s own Cedric Melotte (7), on the L&M Yamaha, topped the field, which included such veterans as Mickael Pichon, Josh Coppins and the still-healing Stefan Everts. Melotte finished second to KTM’s Steve Ramon in the first but came back to win the second moto over Coppins to take the overall win. Ramon’s 1-4 was good enough to take runner-up honors, while Coppins finished third with a 7-2. Everts, still recovering from his pre-season crash, went 5-5 for fourth overall, while Honda-mounted Pichon went 3-11 for fifth. In the MX2 class (125cc two-stroke and 250cc four-stroke), New Zealand’s Ben Townley, on the factory KTM, also won with a 2-1 results. Townley finished second to fellow KTM rider Marc de Reuver in the first moto.
De Reuver finished out the day second overall with a 1-4.
Third overall went to Kawasaki’s Stephen Sward with a 5-2 tally.
MX 2 O/A: 1. Cedric Melotte (Yam); 2. Steve Ramon (KTM); 3. Josh Coppins (Hon); 4. Stefan Everts (Yam); 5. Mickael Pichon (Hon); 6. Kenneth Gundersen (KTM); 7. Brian Jorgensen (Hon); 8. Tanel Leok (KTM); 9. Joel Smets (Suz); 10. James Noble (Hon); 11. Kevin Strijbos (Suz); 12. Paul Cooper (Hon); 13. Marnicq Bervoets (Yam); 14. Danny Theybers (Yam); 15. Marko Kovalainen (Hon); 16. Javier Vico Garcia (Hon); 17. Chris Burnham (KTM); 18. Yoshi Atsuta (Hon); 19. Antti Pyrhonen; 20. Ken de Dijker (Hon)
MX2: 1. Ben Townley (KTM); 2. Marc de Reuver (KTM); 3. Stephen Sword (Kaw); 4. Andrew McFarlane (Kaw); 5. Aigar Leok (KTM); 6. James Dobb (Hon); 7. Mickael Maschio (Kaw); 8. Manuel Priem (Suz); 9. Anthony Boissiere (Yam); 10. Rui Goncalves (Yam); 11. Tyla Rattray (KTM); 12. Carl Nunn (Hon); 13. Jonathan Barragan (KTM); 14. David Philippaerts (KTM); 15. Claudio Federici (Yam).
